


Buying a Stairway ... to Hell

by MahTohSka



Category: Ghostbusters (Comics), Ghostbusters (Movies 1984-1989)
Genre: But it's there, Janine/Egon blink and you miss it
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-05-11
Updated: 2018-05-11
Packaged: 2019-05-05 04:12:00
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 7,511
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14609025
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/MahTohSka/pseuds/MahTohSka
Summary: An investigation of strange seismic activity leads the Ghostbusters to discover a stairway to Hell in an abandoned church - and the Devil wants out.





	Buying a Stairway ... to Hell

**Author's Note:**

> There was a passage in a condensed Tobin's Spirit Guide on the subject of the Manitou - both Ray and Egon want to have a controlled experiment of getting one of them possessed and exorcise the spirit themselves. I liked the idea and ran with it. Random second tour of Haunted America, takes place after 2015 Annual event and Mass Hysteria, and before GB: International (mentioned are Egon's scar, Ray getting possessed by Tiamat and Gozer, and the gauntlet Egon used on Loftur).

**Outskirts of Valley City, North Dakota**

He walked into the dimly lit kitchen, the light above the stove warmly glowed; his feet shuffled along the linoleum floor to a cabinet, he reached up to grab a glass subsequently filling it with water. The man had become restless, he could feel negative energy building – it was faint, but it was enough to put him on edge. To pinpoint where would be the challenge, could be anywhere in the state. 

He deeply sighed, rubbing his face and turned to return to his bedroom. He turned a corner before a chill stopped him; with a hitched breath, his eyes picked out a familiar form amongst the shadows. 

“Uncle Torvald? What’s wrong?” the man sleepily rubbed his eyes to focus. “You feel it, too. You’ve come to warn me about it.” 

The gray shadow moved towards the table in the hallway, the old farm house creaked with each step the spirit made. He watched the opaque hand point to the front page of the newspaper – ‘GHOSTBUSTERS TO MEET GOVERNOR; LOCAL GHOSTS BEWARE’ read the headline. 

“Y’know, I first thought of them as phonies, but after what happened in New York with the giant marshmallow guy … maybe they’re not what some believe them to be,” he mused aloud. “Perhaps we can assist each other, surely with their tech they can spot it more than a mile away.” He looked to the kind but very faint face of his uncle. “Thank you.” 

The spirit vanished, but the man found himself with company; he heard the sniffling from behind. Upon turning around he found a teenage boy in dirty chore clothes, a gray and pale look on his face; there was a hole in the back of his neck, the blood caked and dried around. The man approached the boy, kneeling to his level. 

“My name is Soren Halvorsen, I can help you,” he introduced himself to the boy, placing a gentle hand on the ghost’s shoulder. Soren suddenly became swept in a vision – a farm north of Bismarck, bodies hidden in hay and in the cellar, a man with a shotgun, and a baby in a crib, and eight coffins. 

Soren opened his eyes, realizing who the boy was. “Jake Hofer,” he whispered in discovery. “You were murdered with the Jacob Wolf family. Tell them I will be there in the morning to help you guys pass on, alright?” 

The ghost of Jake Hofer gradually vanished. Soren rose to his feet, giving a deep sigh. Perhaps if news that their murderer had died, then all will be well. He yawned, taking a couple sips of water and returned to bed. 

 

**En route to Bismarck, North Dakota**

“Couldn’t we have bypassed this godforsaken wasteland and gone through South Dakota instead?” Dr. Peter Venkman grumbled from the back. “See Mount Rushmore and … see Mount Rushmore. At least they have more to offer.”

“Then you’d say the same thing once we’d be out of the Black Hills and going east,” Winston Zeddemore quipped, smirking. “You’d call it a godforsaken wasteland as well.”

“Why did we even bother to make states out of this desert,” Venkman continued to grumble, crossing his arms. “I thought we called it quits after a herd of slaughtered cows rampaged through that dinky town back west that was worth putting a national park around it. Why do we gotta meet the governor?”

“My, my he’s restless,” Dr. Ray Stantz gave a smirk, keeping his eyes on the road. 

“Ten bucks he’ll say, ‘are we there yet’,” Dr. Egon Spengler muttered to him, eyes fixed on the PKE meter. 

“Twenty,” Ray raised it. 

“Deal,” Spengler adjusted the meter. “I’m getting interesting readings, Raymond. However, they appear to be benign.”

“Most spooks here are,” Stantz nodded. “Though that doesn’t mean everyone passed on peacefully. Murder. Disappearances. This state may look pretty, and the people are nice, but scratch a little more beneath the surface and you get some weird things.”

“Are we there yet?” Peter called out from somewhere in the RV.

“I win,” Egon gave Ray a faint grin.

 

The meeting with the governor was mostly a PR stunt to help boost the governor’s ratings and gain attention to anyone wanting to start a branch in this part of the country. After the reporters and spectators left, Winston saw two familiar faces standing out. 

“Charlie! Tasha!” he waved at them. He hadn’t talked to his cousins in months, seeing them brought a smile on his lips. Winston trekked over, meeting Tasha and Charles in the middle. “How you guys been?”

“Real good, Winston,” Charles beamed, shaking his cousin’s hand and brought him in for a half hug. “How’s the Big Apple?” 

“You know how it is, ghosts, demons, on occasion a ‘tiny-g’ God, no rest for the wicked,” he chuckled, turning to his other cousin and gave her a big hug. “How’s Tasha doing?”

“Can’t complain. Say, Troy is dying to meet you guys,” Tasha brought up. “Stay for a little while! Take a breather from your ghostbusting.”

“Well, I, uh, I dunno about that,” Winston looked back over to the other three Ghostbusters being hounded by avid fans. “I know Pete wants to get back to New York, but it sounds like Egon and Ray found something on the way in.” He shrugged. “I guess no harm in staying.”

“Oh? What was it?” Tasha inquired. 

“Egon said something about miniscule seismic activity,” Winston answered. 

“Oh … that …,” Charles lowered his head, him and Tasha had sullen looks on their faces. 

“What?” Winston’s bright demeanor dropped. “What is it?”

“There’s been minor quakes every three months or so,” Charles explained. “Seismologists have been through and located the epicenter somewhere northwest of here, out by Minot.”

“You better come tell Egon that,” Winston tagged Charles and Tasha back over to the guys. 

 

Soren had been at the event, patiently waiting to have a chat with the Ghostbusters; once the last of the keen fans left, he approached the three men while Winston went to speak with two people he knew. 

“Hi there, I’m Soren Halvorsen,” he extended a hand to Ray who shook it. “I’ve been admiring your work from afar, I’m impressed with what you do, however, dealing with benign ghosts such as ones here wouldn’t require your equipment.”

“Only benign until they manifest and unnerve or pester –,” Spengler began.

“Don’t provoke the man, Spengs,” Peter nudged him. 

“It’s quite alright, Dr. Venkman,” Soren put up a dismissive hand. “Unfortunately for those like that, I can’t help them, really. I’m a medium, you see. I help willing and harmless spirits that need to pass on. I was actually on an assignment north of here by Turtle Lake to help a family venture to the other side.”

“Jacob Wolf family?” Ray’s brows perked up.

“You know of it?” Soren grinned in surprise.

“He reads all sorts of stuff, homicides, creepy asylums, you name it,” Peter crossed his arms. “I get worried about him sometimes when he yammers on about it, though.”

“I did read up on it while researching any paranormal occurrences here,” Ray butted back in to the conversation. “Neighbor Henry Layer confronted Jacob about Wolf’s dog biting a cow of Layer’s that had wandered to Wolf’s farm. He refused to leave by Jacob’s orders, only to get in a scuffle when Wolf grabbed a shotgun and loaded it. It accidentally fired, killing Mrs. Wolf and the farm boy, Jake Hofer. After that, Layer killed Jacob, and the other five daughters. Only Emma Wolf at eight months old survived.” He paused after rambling the story. “Seems a little extreme to kill a family because a dog bit the leg of a heifer.”

“A little extreme? More like overkill,” Peter mumbled. 

“Well, I wanted to talk to you gentlemen about a gradual spike in negative energy that I’ve been feeling,” Soren explained. “I can’t say for sure where, but maybe with your help we can work together and put a stop to it before it escalates.”

“Hey, Egon, you said you picked up some tiny blips on the seismograph?” Winston approached them with his cousins at his side. “My cousins got something to say on that. Guys, I’d like you to meet Tasha and Charles.” He turned his attention to Soren, extending his hand. “Winston Zeddemore.”

Soren gave a firm nod, shaking Winston’s hand. “Soren Halvorsen.”

Spengler adjusted his glasses. “I did find rather miniscule seismic activity, however it’s impossible due to this state is landlocked and not on a major tectonic plate. The most likely thing would be aftershocks from a quake in a farther western area.”

“That’s what we’d all like to believe,” Charles put his hands in his pockets. “But the fact of the matter is, the epicenter is somewhere west of Minot. Seismologists can’t determine what’s causing it.”

“It used to be once every two, three years, but now it … it’s been every three months or so,” Tasha added. “Not to mention we’ve had some crazies comin’ through saying, ‘He’s coming, He will rise’, that type of nonsense.”

“They wouldn’t be referring to the Devil himself, would they?” Ray asked for clarification. “If they are, then boy, do we got a case.”

“Yeah, as a matter of fact, they are,” Charles started to get worked up, his arms akimbo. “They come into town, dressed in black robes and spouting off how the Devil will come in the form of a man dressed in gray and he shall bring Hell on earth. My daughter keeps waking me up at night because of nightmares she’s having about these guys.” He shook his head, sighing deeply through his nose. “I trust you’ll do something about this?”

“We’re paranormal investigators, we deal with crazies, skeptics all the time,” Peter patted Charles on the shoulder. “If it is the Big Guy himself, should be a cake walk.”

“Listen, I’m sure you boys wanna rest for a while, doing all that traveling,” Tasha switched the conversation, “I’m offering supper, come on over. If you need to stay the night, stay the night.” 

“Do these people ever get mad?” Peter muttered to Ray as they trekked back towards the mobile containment unit. “The niceness is creepin’ me out.”

 

Later that night, Ray and Egon were seated in the RV, going over a state map and data gathered from seismology reports, and civilian accounts from the northwest area. 

“Take a look at this,” Ray set a photo down in front of Spengler. “According to the photo, this is the church where rumors had gone about Satanists taking it over when the town became vacated in 1976. And the person who took it stepped inside and felt the floorboards bounce under him. Said it sounded like someone was knocking down below, wanting to get out.”

“This is the same town that supposedly a stairway to Hell was to be,” Spengler added. “I’d like to get data and readings once we arrive. This could be an interesting find, a theory on earthly portals to Hell in natural places.” 

“A very big find,” Ray agreed. “Side tracking, though,” he produced a gauntlet fitted with wires and power cells, “I managed to finish this. Call it a psychokinetic defibrillator. Should safely remove a possessor from the host.” 

“Then you are saying we should proceed with the experiment?” Egon raised an inquisitive brow.

“I mean, not now, but in the near future, yes,” Ray nodded. “In a controlled environment, of course.

“Don’t tell me you guys are still planning on possessing yourselves,” a voice whined from the open door of the RV. Venkman had wandered in, taking a seat by the table. “Honestly, I don’t know why this sounds like a good idea to you two. So, I self-exorcised a soul eating monstrosity, big deal. Doesn’t mean you guys have to.”

“Peter, what you did back in Schenectady was the maybe the first time we’ve witnessed an exorcism performed by the host alone,” Ray sat forward in his seat. 

“All I did was talk to the guy,” Peter mumbled, crossing his arms. “Let’s move on. So, what’s the place?” He nudged his head at the map. 

“Tagus,” Ray cleared the papers lying on top of the state map. “Soren is meeting us in Minot and go from there. Should be an easy get in, get out as long as we don’t run into trouble.”

“Why not Minot,” Peter mumbled. 

Winston popped his head into the mobile unit. “Hey, guys, Tasha has spare room for anyone who wants to crash. I’m calling it a night.”

Venkman yawned, stretching. “C’mon, Abbot and Costello, we got a long day ahead of us.” 

“I’ll be fine,” Egon muttered, eyes glancing over the data. 

“Egon, remember the last time you avoided sleep?” Peter leaned down on the table. “You almost lost an eye. Now, c’mon, put on your jam jams and get some godforsaken sleep.” Peter shuffled to the door of RV. “I won’t be responsible if you suddenly wake up the next morning and both are missing.” And at that, he exited.

“I don’t say this often, but, I agree with Peter,” Ray rubbed his eyes, glancing over to see the faint scar Egon had received from the Sandman. 

Spengler deeply sighed through his nose. “Very well.”

 

**Minot**

There was a problem at the Air Force Base that needed to be taken care of. Class fives were sabotaging aircraft and harassing personnel. 

“If you don’t behave, we got Custer and his guys in the containment unit, we’ll sic ‘em on you!” Peter called out to the nearly uncatchable ghosts. 

“Do you know long it took us to catch Custer and his merry band of soldiers?” Ray raised his voice over the sounds of their proton packs. “He’ll go straight back to Montana, and I don’t think the Crow would like that very much.”

“Bah, they can deal with them with their voodoo that they do so well,” Peter grinned. “Besides, I think the Chairman’s daughter has a thing for me.”

“Pete, he almost put a restraining order against you,” Winston added his two cents to the conversation. 

“If we can concentrate on the matter at hand,” Egon interrupted, “full streams!” 

Managing to avoid major aircraft, the class fives were bagged and tagged. The commanding officer at the base wasn’t too happy with the damage done by both parties, Peter offered a reimbursement from the state government. 

It was reaching evening when Soren arrived at the rendezvous point on the outskirts of the city at a rest stop, approaching the Ecto-1. The negative energy had increased in just one day, his stomach was tied into knots. 

“Hey!” a voice called out across the lot. All eyes turned to see a mousy brown haired woman and her lanky boyfriend. “It is being fulfilled! He said His vessel will come tonight! We shall all rejoice in Satan’s glory!”

“Yeah, sure, Squeaky,” Peter grumbled.

“You are not worthy of Him,” she snarled at Venkman. Her boyfriend was giving a strange look towards everyone, discomfort spreading to all of them. 

“Let’s get going, guys, Charlie and Squeaky are freaking me out,” Peter mumbled, climbing into Ecto. 

Almost an hour drive to their location, they came down the gravel road leading to the ghost town of Tagus. The full moon was closer to the Earth, an ominous glow about it put Soren on edge; he had a gut feeling that this stairway to Hell was real and they would be dealing with Beelzebub himself. His guide, Uncle Torvald, sent him a frightening image the night before that put fear into him. He wished he could forget it, but the closer they got to the church the more it appeared. 

Hundreds of voices called out to Soren. Screaming and moaning, the voices of the damned; he shifted in his seat with discomfort. This was not going to end well.

“PKE readings steadily rising,” Spengler notified. 

“I got a bad feeling about this,” Soren mumbled from the back seat.

“We all do, Snorri,” Peter mumbled. 

“At least you’re not hearing a hundred voices crying out to you, begging for release,” Soren grumbled, crossing his arms. The Ghostbusters exchanged weary glances at each other. 

“Hey, look!” Ray pointed over the steering wheel. Dozens of full torso apparitions materialized on the streets, lights came on in the windows of empty houses; the Ecto-1 came to a crawling stop a few yards away from the church. The ghosts had somewhat disgruntled looks on their faces as they mulled about the town. 

A mighty thud sounded from the church, the ground shook for a few seconds before calming down. The Ghostbusters exited Ecto, coming round to the back and strap on the packs; Soren gradually stepped out, taking deep breaths. Never in all his life has he felt this much energy from one source, dread flooded his every thought. 

“Egon and I will take a look inside the church,” Ray handed packs out. “Winston, Peter, you two take Soren and scan the surrounding area. Maybe, uh,” his eyes scanned the ghosts aimlessly wandering, “get some of these people to the other side.”

“I’ll do my best,” Soren added, glancing for any ghosts that seem approachable. 

The PKE meter chirped madly once Ray and Spengler set foot on the steps, a deep low rumble emitted from behind the closed doors; the two Ghostbusters exchanged glances, pressing on to the double doors. They groaned and creaked from the years old rusty hinges, dust flew about the place; the interior was wrecked and pews places askew, emblems of Satanic nature hung about pillars and in the pulpit. On the stage near the back was a crudely designed altar, the painting depicting Jesus was ripped and defaced. 

“Do we close the stairway, or do we just not open it?” Ray whispered to Egon as they carefully stepped their way inside.

“Oh, do please, open it,” a voice came from behind them. The same woman from the rest stop stood at the doors, a creepy grin on her face. “He wants to come through, He needs to come through. His vessel will welcome him with open arms, and we shall be his humble servants.”

Outside on the main and only road, rustles from bushes and creaks from houses sounded, keeping Peter and Winston on alert. People gradually emerged from these areas, congregating near the church. Soren had just helped a ghost pass on when he noticed the mass of occultists gather. 

“Uh, what do we do about that?” he muttered to Venkman, pointing to the now kneeling crowd.

“Keep an eye on ‘em,” Peter responded. He took a step forward only to be met by a shrieking ghost. He fired his proton wand, trying to lasso it; Winston aided Peter, however more ghosts were called to this attack. Soren ducked out of the way, seeking shelter by the hearse. He searched for an extra pack or anything that would seem useful, eyes landing on a trap. 

“Please work,” he whispered, opening the back door and grabbed the extra trap.

 

“I think we should open it,” Spengler stated, eyes darting between the meter and the spot before the small stage. “It’s right underneath us. We don’t really know how deep it goes.”

Ray’s eyes darted about the spot, gears turning in his mind. “If … If we need to, we’ll call Winston and Venkman in to help close it,” Ray nodded. 

“Then you’ll need this,” the woman said from behind, throwing an axe between the two men. The blade landed on the front face of the wooden altar. “We eagerly await Him.” She giggled, practically floating out of the church. 

Ray and Egon both stepped to grab it, either one unsure who would do the honors. 

“You made the call,” Ray gestured to the axe. Egon gave a slow nod, exhaling deeply and took the axe into his hands. 

Spengler took his pack off, placing it by his boots; he gave one hesitative glance towards Ray before bringing the axe up and made the first dent in the floorboards. Thunder sounded in the distance, lightning licked the sky and touched down three times; Peter and Winston got distracted by this sudden storm and were knocked of their feet by the three ghosts that were attacking them. 

Soren stepped in from behind them, hitting the trap’s pedal; the beam of light consumed the apparitions and sucked them in, the doors of the trap closing. The box smoked and shook a little in Soren’s hands, ultimately becoming still. 

“Hey, not bad, Snorri,” Peter grumbled as he was helped up by Winston. 

“Thought I’d help,” Soren grinned. 

 

The hole was showing itself more, a strangely chill air flowed out once it was big enough; the axe was tossed to the ground in almost distaste for the task it had done. Ray helped put Egon’s pack back on him before they carefully trekked down the stone steps. The meter’s arms were out completely, the lights blinking madly as it chirped; ominous but low moans were heard as the two Ghostbusters kept descending. 

At the bottom of the steps was a stone door, a carving of scenes was displayed; screaming victims, demons poking and eating the damned, and Satan’s face plastered at the top. 

“I counted fifty steps coming down,” Stantz reported once he reached the bottom. Spengler was ahead of him at the door, scanning the depictions on the entrance. 

“I don’t see any slots to place an artifact in,” Egon scanned the door. “There seems to be no way of opening it.”

“You got a knife handy? Maybe it needs blood smeared on it,” Ray said half joking. 

“Unfortunately, no,” Egon amused him. “It would be best if we left it as is. We know it’s here, however, before it decides to increase in magnitude and cave the town in, we should find ways to suppress any further quakes.”

“We could torch it,” Ray shrugged his shoulders. 

“I wouldn’t like be charged with arson,” Egon turned and started to head up the stairs. “But it wouldn’t be a first.”

 

“What the hell is going on?” a cranky voice growled out. The county sheriff had just rolled in to Tagus, looking unhappy as he stepped out of his prowler. “I’ve been getting calls from farms nearby there’s some kind of light show going on here, who the hell are you boys?”

“Guess the yokels here don’t know about us,” Peter mumbled to Winston before approaching the sheriff. “We’re the Ghostbusters, sheriff. We got it under control here.”

“Under control, huh,” the sheriff crossed his arms. His head nodded towards the menagerie of Satanists groveling by the steps of the church. “Them don’t look like ghosts to me.”

“We’re … we’ll be taking care of them, but right now there are some angry as hell ghosts here that need to be trapped,” Winston told him, taking a few steps forward and got close in the sheriff’s face. “We were sent here by the governor, and if you were to call him up right now, one, he wouldn’t be happy that you’re calling him at an untimely hour, and two, he also wouldn’t be happy if you put the Ghostbusters in jail just because we’re doing our jobs.”

The sheriff grumbled to himself for a moment, soon growling out, “Fine. Just get out of here before dawn.”

“And we will, sir, buh-bye now,” Peter gave a little wave as the sheriff stomped back to his car and drove off. “Nice touch with the ‘sent by the governor’ thing, Winston buddy. Thought he’d never leave.”

“Guys, I think we’re gonna have company,” Soren announced to the pair, looking to the crowd. 

“Why’s that?” Peter asked. He saw Soren point at the occultists who’s chanting was getting louder by the minute. “Oh.”

 

They were almost to the top when Egon had tripped on the stairs, he reached out to grab at something, slicing his palm open on a sharp piece of wood at the opening. Blood trickled down onto the stone, Spengler stifling a cry. Stantz rushed to inspect the damage, carefully getting himself and Egon out of the stairway and to the step of the stage.

“We better get this cleaned and dressed,” Ray noted, rising to his feet and starting towards the door. Egon had followed suit, getting a few steps away from the opening before freezing in his tracks and hitched a breath. 

An invisible force had blown up from the stairway and rammed into his body; Egon felt himself be lifted a few feet into the air, his eyes rolling into his head, muscles involuntarily twitching at sporadic intervals. He found himself in a dark space on the mental plane, no door to help him escape. A deep and low chuckle was heard, a familiar face step from the shadows in the void where Egon stood in the recesses of his mind. It was his own, but ashen gray and his eyes show red irises while the whites were pitch black.

“Let’s have some fun,” the devilish spitting image of him grinned.

Ray didn’t hear another set of footsteps behind him, a bad feeling itching in the back of his mind. Gradually he turned around, eyes widening in shock to see his friend dangling five feet in the air. 

“Ohhh shit,” he mumbled. 

“He has risen!” the woman called to the crowd who answered back with the same phrase. 

Ray glanced behind him when he heard the mob and turned back to Egon. He took two steps forward before the force possessing Egon straightened itself and made eye contact with Stantz. Ray shook in his boots staring into the black pits that were Spengler’s eyes; he gulped hard, thoughts racing through his mind.

This can’t be happening. The Devil was inside Spengler.

“Beelzebub, Mephistopheles, Lucifer, Satan,” Ray gradually got out familiar names to the Devil. “I demand you remove yourself from the individual that you are currently in possession of and –,”

The Devil gently lifted an upturned hand, levitating Ray two feet off the ground, proceeding to choke him. Egon fought back control, eyes turning back to his normal brown for a quick few seconds. 

“I’ll be fine, Ray, let me get rid of him,” he managed to get out before slipping away and Lucifer gained possession of his body. Black seeped from his pupils and entirely covered his eyes. 

Ray managed to get his thrower out and fired a shot at the Devil, the stream singeing a shoulder. He was subsequently dropped, Stantz gasped for air. 

“I’ll deal with you later,” the Devil deeply growled, sweeping an arm in air, causing Ray to fly back out into the street. The Devil chuckled, putting his arms out. “Rise, my minions, devour and conquer.”

From behind in the opening, grisly demons swarmed out. Ray scrambled to his feet, staggering back over to Peter, Winston and Soren. The Satanists reveled in Lucifer’s coming, welcoming the demons with open arms as they were soon possessed by the entities. Hell hounds bayed, emerging from the hole and materializing out in the streets. 

“Ray … where’s Egon?” Peter asked, gritting his teeth at the spectacle happening before them, not feeling good about the situation at all.

“He’s uhh …” Ray got out and looked back at the church. 

“Goddammit, Ray, really?! Did Egon get possessed by _the_ Devil?” Peter shouted at him. “The one guy we need, and he’s occupied.” 

“Soren, do you know any exorcism spells?” Winston asked him. 

“Egon managed to tell me he’s got this,” Ray told the group. “He’ll exorcise Satan himself.”

“Mary, mother of God, help us,” Winston shook his head, whispering to the heavens, his ears not wanting to hear those words. 

“You guys stay, I’ll take care of this,” Peter grumbled and went to the front steps. He saw Egon’s body levitating inside, a chill ran down his spine before it fleeted. “Hey! Beelz! Eat protons!” He went to fire, the doors closing before him. A demon possessed occultist jumped on him, scratching at this face. “A little help guys!”

Soren pulled the occultist off him, ripping his cross necklace off and placed it on their forehead. The demon inside the person shrieked, exiting the body and trapped by Peter. 

 

_He stood face to face with his doppelganger, becoming unsettled by the scarlet hues boring into him, hellish whispers surrounding the figure that took his form. Egon paced his deep breaths, this was no ordinary minor devil. This was the one. The Devil mentioned in the Bible, in every folk tale, and every other holy scripture; the ruler of Hell itself. He tried to gain control of his body by his will and thoughts alone, though he was at the end of his rope._

_“You’re still trying to fight, I like that,” the Devil grinned, shoving his hands into the pockets of the black jumpsuit he wore. “It’s almost cute.” He came inches away from Egon’s face. “You’ll break eventually. Now, I’m starting to wonder why your friends out there aren’t coming to get you and exorcise me from you.”_

_Egon didn’t say anything, the Devil could see his thoughts anyway, there was nothing to hide for the most part._

_“Are you trying to see if you can exorcise me yourself?” the Devil took a step back, an eyebrow raised. He deeply chuckled. “That’s rich. No human has ever done that. I’m not like that Manitou your dear friend Peter was possessed by.”_

_“No, but I will succeed,” Egon rebutted._

_“Good luck with that.” He turned his back to walk away._

_“Why me,” Spengler asked the Devil. “I have nothing of value to you. Peter would have been an easier pick and,” he stopped himself briefly, not wanting to say it but, “Ray would have been another choice as well.”_

_“You speak so highly of your friends,” the Devil faced Egon. “Peter’s of no use to me. And poor Ray, tch, I’m surprised you even brought up his name. I left him alone. Getting possessed three times, especially by two Mesopotamian gods at the same time, tsk tsk, I’d break him completely.” He got dangerously close to Egon. “What you have, Dr. Spengler, is knowledge. You created the containment unit. The one place where you have several of my underlings and right hand men. I want them freed.”_

_“Impossible. The containment unit has a biometric security system,” Egon crossed his arms. “It won’t read my handprint as you currently pilot my body.”_

_“Who said anything about a security system? Throw a wrench at it and watch it blow up,” the Devil smirked, turning once again to leave. “Besides, I’m tired of being cooped up in Hell, it’s time for me to rule over the earth. And no matter how many equations you run through your mind to get rid of me – you won’t.”_

_Egon deeply sighed through his nose, closing his eyes. A table with a chess board materialized in front of Lucifer. The Devil perked up a brow, glancing back over at Egon who was walking over to the table. Spengler casually took a seat, patiently staring up at the Devil._

_Satan darted his eyes from the chess board to Egon, intrigue written on his face._

_“May I ask what we are playing for?” he pulled out the seat and sat down._

_“My soul in exchange for sparing the lives of my colleagues.”_

_“You’re willing to risk everything you have worked towards, to spare the lives of your friends,” the Devil grinned, “a noble gesture. You’re not due for a few years, but why not. And if you win?”_

_“I expel you from my body, you go back to Hell, and remain there until the exact date of the apocalypse,” Egon sat forward, determination in his eyes. He brought his hand forward to shake. “Deal?”_

_The Devil was heavily intrigued by the offer. He smirked, shaking Egon’s hand. “Deal. And good luck.”_

 

“They keep coming out of the woodwork! Literally!” Peter shouted, capturing what demon or ghost he could. “We’re running out of traps!” 

“Ray! Do we still have the megatrap?” Winston called out, ducking from a dangerously swooping ghost.

“I think we do! Cover for me while I get it!” Ray booked it to the hearse, flinging the back door open. “There you are, you beauty.” He pulled out the large trap, hauling over to a safe distance. “Okay! Get them to come to me! I got it set!”

“Time to reel ‘em in! Yeeehaw!” Peter hollered out, pushing what he caught over towards Ray.

“You go help, Dr. Stantz, I’ll be the bait,” Soren stepped in, calling to the possessed occultists. “Hey! Demons! Why are you possessing polluted souls? Why don’t you go for something pure? Like me!” He held his arms out. “I’m like a tasty bowl of my grandma’s knoephla soup!”

“The hell is he on about?” Winston asked the guys. 

“Let the kid be, he’s doing great,” Peter muttered.

The demons jumped out of their hosts’ bodies, shrieking and scrambling for Soren. The medium braced himself for impact, shielding his eyes as a bright light shined in the sky and the demons were sucked into it. Soren brought his arms down, sighing out in relief and almost fainted from the absolute terror of possible possession.

Demons still came out of the church, but they soon flew out of sight; the next big problem, was the being inside the church. 

 

_They sat in silence, eyes studying the board; the Devil was getting an upper hand, Egon’s pieces were dwindling but that was a good thing. He could win with what pieces he had._

_“Would there be anything you … desire?” the Devil asked, he opened a hand palm up, a ghostly silhouette of someone Spengler knew very well appeared. It didn’t have a face, but he knew it was her by her hair and clothing – Janine. “It’s just there’s a certain someone in your life who feels … rather strongly about you.” Another ghostly shadow appeared with a strong jaw and a ponytail. “I can make sure he doesn’t get in the way anymore.” The shadow man disappeared. “And let you have her all to yourself.”_

_“As,” Egon then cleared his throat, “tempting as that sounds, I politely acquiesce.”_

_The Devil faintly scowled. This man was hard to crack._

_“So close, Dr. Spengler. I look forward to seeing you impaled,” the Devil grinned._

_Egon didn’t say anything, he moved one piece to a safe spot. There was doubt, however, that it might not turn out the way he wanted to._

 

The doors creaked open. The three Ghostbusters and Soren looked to the double doors, stepping out was the Devil in his new form. The occultists gain consciousness, seeing their master caused them to rejoice. The Devil undid the straps of the pack and let it fall to floor with a loud ‘thud’, taking a deep breath through his nose, a grin forming on his lips.

“He is here! Hail Satan! We have waited for this!” they cried out.

“Hail Lucifer,” the mousy brown haired woman walked up the steps to grovel at the Devil’s feet. 

“You gotta be shittin’ me,” Winston mumbled, disbelief on his face, ribbing Ray. “I thought you said Egon was gonna handle it.”

“He … he said he could …” Ray felt his heart sank. Maybe Spengler wasn’t able to perform a self-exorcism after all. He shook his head. “No. Spengler has got to have something up his sleeve.”

The Devil in the form of Egon Spengler brought the woman to her feet, kissing the top of her hand. His black voids for eyes shined in the moon’s light, his red irises gradually came to light among the pitch, she became entranced by them.

“I thank you for this warm welcome,” there was a deep rumble underneath Egon’s usual baritone. He looked to the kneeling mob of his followers. “You are all gracious and will serve me well.” Those red eyes fell on the Ghostbusters and Soren. “And as for you …” The Devil broke away from the woman and started to descend.

Fire burned in each step he took, the flames eventually disappearing after mere seconds. Gravel crunched below his boot after coming off the steps, the Devil stopped at a safe distance from them; the same thought Egon had earlier was running through their heads – this is the actual Devil. 

 

_“You’re running out of time, Dr. Spengler,” the Devil sat back, basking in his coming triumph._

_Egon ignored the snide remarks, waiting for his opponent to make the move. Lucifer noticed how quiet the mortal had become, smirking as he put a piece leaving Egon with one left._

_“Times. Up.”_

_Of course, it was – but not yet. He feigned impending defeat, leaning back in his chair looking sullen. He had a clear shot of winning._

 

“Bust ‘em, trap ‘em,” Peter muttered to the group. 

“If we do that, that could possibly upset the balance of … well, nature,” Ray warned him. 

“He’s right, Dr. Venkman,” Lucifer took two steps forward. “There is a heaven, and there is a hell. Trap me, and the balance is off. Every teaching states you must have a perfect balance of good and evil. One cannot exist without the other. Either way, chaos eventually ensues.”

“Okay, so how about you get out of our friend here and let you get back to Hell,” Peter primed his thrower as a threat.

“I’m afraid I cannot,” the Devil shrugged his shoulders. “You see, he’s lost a deal we made.”

“Bullshit. Egon wouldn’t fall for that,” Winston growled, his proton wand primed as well.

“He’s the one who made it,” Lucifer simply answered. He couldn’t help but grin at the shocked faces. “It’s true. In exchange for his soul, your lives will be spared, and my generals and underlings go free.”

Winston shook his head. “No. You’re lying.”

“I told him it was a noble gesture. He was willing to sacrifice himself to save your skins,” the Devil pulled Winston towards him with making one gesture of his index finger curl into his hand. “You would know a lot about sacrifice wouldn’t you, Mr. Zeddemore? You and the medium.” His eyes darted over to Soren who looked ready to wet himself. “If I was lying to you, I would’ve made a long yarn about something uncharacteristic of him that you would have picked up on.” He paused, grabbing Winston by his collar and pulled him closer. 

“You’re denying the truth that he would go out of the way to ensure you carry on. Father of Lies, I am, but in this case, I am not,” Lucifer lowly spoke to him. He gradually let go of Winston.

“Quit pickin’ on him, alright, Beelz?” Peter stepped forward. “If there’s anyone in this outfit who would’ve done the same, it’s Ray. In fact, any of us would have done the same.”

“True. But your friend’s time is at an end.”

 

_Egon gradually had a grin come on his face. While the Devil basked in his supposed triumph, he played his last move – a checkmate. Lucifer’s smirk dropped to a scowl, looking the board over. The mortal had beat him! However …_

_“It appears you have won. But you’re still mine.”_

_“Hardly.” Egon adjusted his glasses. “It wasn’t you who made the deal. I did.” He watched the Devil’s lips curl into a snarl. “I made the deal. I won the game. Therefore,” Egon gradually rose to his feet, leaning down over the table, “get the hell out of my body.”_

 

A low thunder boomed in the sky, a harsh and chilly wind blew into the trees; the Devil staggered backward, eyes were watching him as Lucifer sank to his knees and let out a bellow in protest, he felt himself be exorcised out of his host’s body. Egon’s eyes returned to normal, a searing pain ripped through his body – Lucifer was not going down without a fight. Ray moved forward, getting on one knee and holding Spengler steady.

_“You’re still mine!”_ the Devil roared in his mind. 

“Get … the defibrillator …” Egon groaned, stifling a cry of pain. “He’s going to try and take me with him.”

“Soren! Back seat! It’s a gauntlet!” Ray shouted, his air being shorted by a strong hand. He saw Egon’s eyes had turned back to those scarlet hues and pitch black. 

Soren scrambled back to Ecto-1. “Okayokayokayokayokay gauntlet … gauntlet!” He snatched it from the back seat and held it high, running over to Ray. Peter and Winston took a hold of an arm after Ray was freed. 

Stantz got oxygen back into his lungs, taking the gauntlet from Soren and slipped it on his left hand. They hadn’t field tested it yet, but it shouldn’t kill Spengler. 

“Here goes,” he started it up. 

The hot pain in his mind was overbearing, one last deep bellow roared out before Ray placed the gloved hand over the center of Egon’s chest and fired. The force knocked out a dark shadow back into the church and down into the opening, and any other lingering demonic entity with it; the stone door shut itself closed, the air became still as dawn was setting in. 

The occultists fled when the Devil was being self-exorcised, vowing that they will summon their master to earth in due time. The matter at hand now was Spengler; his jumpsuit and skin were seared by the gauntlet, but what frightened them was his chest wasn’t rising and falling. Winston took his pack off, checking for any vital signs. 

“Get the med kit, should be some adrenaline.” Soren gave a swift nod, rushing to the hearse and retrieved a syringe. Winston took the cap off with his teeth and jabbed the needle into Egon’s leg. Within seconds, the Ghostbuster sprang to life with a big gasp and bolted upright. 

“Make … adjustments … Ray,” Egon hoarsely got out, clutching his charred chest. He gradually brought to his feet, being supported by Winston and Peter back over to Ecto-1. His hands fumbled with the PKE meter and scanned himself, a sigh of relief came out with his signatures reading normal. 

“Did you really make a deal, Spengs?” Peter leaned against the open back door of the hearse. 

“I created a loophole. And it was also a theory I wanted to test. If a mortal makes a good enough deal with the Devil, then by the law of that agreement, Lucifer would be forced to abide by the outcome should the mortal win.” He was proud of himself the way his lips absentmindedly curled up into a grin.

“That’s genius, Spengs, but I don’t want to see you like that ever again,” Peter patted him on the shoulder. 

“Man, I bet the PKE readings were off the charts!” Ray exclaimed. “We gotta get every detail of it. What was it like?”

“Perhaps we will discuss that later,” Egon winced at the throbbing pain in his chest. “If we’re to use the defibrillator in the future, it would be wise to not fire it at such a close range.”

“Oh. Right. Sorry,” Ray apologized.

“Nonetheless, a successful field test.”

“Alright, c’mon, Spengsy, you need to get that burn mark looked at,” Peter helped him into the hearse after getting Egon’s pack from the church steps.

“Hey,” Winston approached Soren who was looking at the sunrise, “about what … he said back there. Were you …”

“In Nam? Yes,” Soren calmly answered. “Near the end of the war, but I saw enough. I was just a kid. When I came back, my mind just … opened. And all these things came at me. I was a little scared at first, but I accepted it.” He paused. “It changes you, y’know? Sometimes for the worse.”

“Yeah … but we gotta move past it in the end. Just gotta be strong,” Winston nudged Soren with a fist to his arm.

“Let’s go while we’re young!” Peter called from the back passenger window of Ecto-1. 

One week later found the Ghostbusters back in New York, having completed a second round of touring America. Soren was granted to start a franchise in the Upper Midwest as a subdivision of the new chapter in Minneapolis. Ray and Egon double checked Spengler’s readings to ensure that nothing related to the Devil came up, though Peter often wondered if Egon’s head would spin. 

Egon absentmindedly rubbed the scar running across his palm late at night, conjuring alternative scenarios in his mind; all of them did not bode well, he would imagine his comrades wouldn’t have made it out alive in that town, and he could do nothing about it but watch as a passenger. The harrowing thought burned, a hand gently landing on the healing burn on his chest gave him a reminder that it did not turn out like in the different realities he thought. He successfully self-exorcised the Devil himself, albeit with an extra push. Still, he won.

“Take that, Venkman,” he muttered with a small smirk forming in a corner of his lips.

**Author's Note:**

> Wow, here we go:  
> \- Tagus is an actual ghost town that actually was rumored to have Satanists running around in the mid-70s. The church where the stairway to Hell is supposed to be is burned to the ground now.  
> \- The Jacob Wolf family murder mentioned is a real event that took place near Turtle Lake, north of Bismarck.  
> \- Soren is based on an actual medium in Fargo who is a veteran  
> \- "Why not Minot" is an actual (unofficial? official? I don't know) slogan for the city of Minot  
> \- I had fun writing this, wanting to write a Haunted America story set in my home state


End file.
